“Oh, Miss Sullivan!” Molly came out from behind the counter with a wide smile that was bookended by rosy cheeks. The woman was tiny and round, with gray-blond hair swept up into a neat bun at the back of her head. In about ten more years, once her hair had gone completely white, she’d make the perfect Mrs. Claus. And judging by her surroundings, Tori was pretty sure that was the plan all along.
“Please call me Tori.”
“Only if you call me Molly, dear. We’re neighbors, after all.” Molly embraced her as though they were lifelong friends instead of acquaintances through real estate.
Tori smiled. She couldn’t help it. The woman was just so damn sweet. How was it that she could raise a sneaky corporate weasel like Wade? “That we are.”
She noticed that nothing in the woman’s tone or expression conveyed any hint of concern about the fact that Tori lived on her old land. The same was true when they’d met at closing. Neither she nor Ken had seemed bothered at all by it. In fact, Ken had appeared a little relieved. She remembered Ken had commented that they were getting to an age where nearly three hundred acres was a lot of land to deal with. Tori’s piece was too rocky and sloped to grow trees. The other two larger plots were the same. No great loss there.
So why did it bother Wade so much that they’d sold it? It made Tori wonder if his parents even knew what he was up to. The burning, childish urge to tattle on him swirled in her gut. It would be so easy. Even a millionaire CEO could be brought down by the wrath of his mama.
But somehow that didn’t seem like fighting fair. They hadn’t taken the gloves off yet. She’d reserve that tactic until it was absolutely necessary. In the meantime, there wasn’t any harm in being neighborly. She wasn’t very good at it, since her neighbors typically changed out every few weeks, but she was willing to give it a try.
“So what brings you by today? Do you need a tree?”
“Oh, no,” Tori said. “I don’t have room for one in my little trailer. When the house is finished, I’ll get one for sure. But for now I thought I might pick up one of the lovely fresh pine wreaths you put together. When I was down at Daisy’s the other night, the waitress Rose was bragging on your artistic skills.”
Molly was beaming with pride as she led Tori over to the display of wreaths. “Rose is such a sweetheart. She used to date my Xander when they were in high school. I hate that it didn’t work out.”
They stopped in front of a stone wall covered in about ten different wreaths. There was a variety of sizes, all with decorations of different styles. Tori wasn’t really in the market for a wreath, but she would buy one. If she didn’t, she’d probably buy a package or two of the homemade fudge by the register, and she certainly didn’t need that.
She picked the first one that really caught her eye. “That blue-and-silver wreath is gorgeous. I think I’ll take that one.”
“That’s one of my favorites, too. Let me get the hook to get it down.”
Molly headed off across the store, pausing only when the jingling of bells signaled someone else had come in. “Oh, Wade, perfect timing. Could you get that blue wreath down for me?”
Tori snapped her head around to see Wade shaking the snow off his boots on the entryway rug. Today he was wearing a deep red cashmere sweater with a white collared shirt beneath it. It made his shoulders look impossibly wide and strong. After being so close to him last night, she found it wasn’t hard to imagine being wrapped in his arms. And being pressed against his chest… Tori shook her head to chase away the unproductive thoughts.
“Sure, Mama,” he said without turning her way.
“And I want you to meet Tori Sullivan,” Molly continued. “She’s the one who bought that little piece of land near the ridge.”
At that, Wade stiffened and turned in her direction. He frowned for only a moment, wiping the expression from his face before his mother could see it. He followed her over to the wreath display and, without speaking, lowered the blue-and-silver wreath into his mother’s arms.
“Tori, this is my oldest son, Wade. He’s in real estate in New York. Perhaps you two run in the same circles. Wade, Tori is an architect. She bought one of our lots, and she’s designing a beautiful house to build up there.”
“You flatter me,” she said, avoiding Wade’s gaze until she had to greet him. When she did, there was a polite blankness in his eyes. He was obviously going to pretend they had never met before. She was willing to play along with that for now. “It’s nice to meet you, Wade.” She held out her hand to him.
“And you, Tori,” he said very formally, while managing to emphasize the pronunciation of her first name. It was the first time he’d called her that since he’d shown up at her trailer. Actually, it was the first time he’d ever called her “Tori.” When she’d worked for his company, she’d gone by Victoria. She couldn’t help but watch his lips as he said her name. There was something oddly seductive about the way his mouth moved that just wasn’t there when he called her Miss Sullivan.
When he finally reached out and shook her hand, Tori realized a second too late that touching him was probably a bad idea. She was right. The minute his hand encompassed hers, it was as though she had dipped it into a warm bath. The heat of his soft touch engulfed her, sending a delicious surge of need up her arm that tightened her chest and made it hard to breathe. She found she couldn’t pull away from him.
Her body was betraying her, and for what? A chaste, polite handshake?
But then she looked into his dark green eyes and realized it was more than that. He, too, felt the current of desire that traveled through their skin-on-skin contact. Unlike last night, when Wade was prepared and in control of the seduction, this seemed to catch him off guard. For just a brief moment the animosity and arrogance was stripped away, leaving him only with the expression of pure, unadulterated desire. He was fighting the urge to devour her, then and there.
His gaze was so penetrating, it felt like a caress. When his thumb gently stroked the back of her hand, her heart started racing, her breath quick in her throat the way it had been the night before when she thought he might kiss her. The feeling was intense. Too intense for a Christmas store with his mother only a few feet away.
Tori jerked away suddenly, hoping Molly didn’t notice the invisible sparks as she rubbed her palm on her jeans to deaden the lingering sensation from his touch. Wade’s eyes didn’t stray from hers for a few moments, intently searching her as though he were looking into her soul. He turned away only when Molly spoke.
“Tori, I’m going to get this wreath boxed up for you. Do you have a hook to hang it?”
“No,” she admitted, sounding oddly out of breath for someone standing still. “Pick whatever one you think will look the nicest with it, and I’ll take that, too.”
Molly grinned and dashed off to the other side of the store, leaving Wade and Tori alone.
“What are you doing here?” he asked, his tone unquestionably accusatory, yet low enough for his mother not to hear them.
Tori crossed her arms under her breasts, burying her still-burning hand. “Shopping, obviously.”
This time, when his green gaze raked over her, there was no heat behind it. Just irritation and suspicion. “Did you come here to get back at me for last night?”
“Get back at you for what? You claimed you were just hanging out with some friends. Do you think I came here to tattle on you to your mama?”
“No,” he said, although the deep lines of the wary expression on his face gave away his lie.
Tori cracked a wicked grin, knowing she’d easily discovered an Achilles’ heel. Of course, any son of a decent family had a soft spot where his mother was concerned. Even the pushy, arrogant sons. She opted to rub it in by parroting the line he’d used on her last night. “I’m here buying some Christmas decorations. If your mama just happens to supply me with some information about you, then great. I like to be well-informed. Especially when going up against a worthy adversary.”
“Touché,”
he said drily before casting a quick glance over his shoulder to see where Molly was.
“I take it Ken and Molly don’t know what you’re trying to do to me?”
His head snapped back to look at her. “Do to you?” he whispered with a touch of incredulity in his voice. “Offering to pay you four times your property value is hardly twisting your arm. But no, they don’t know about it, and I’d like to keep it that way. They don’t need any more stress.”
“If they don’t care, why are you so determined to get it back? I don’t understand.”
A barrier went up inside Wade. Tori could almost feel the steel walls slamming into place. She’d obviously trodden into dangerous territory with him.
“I don’t have to explain to you why this land is important to me. All you need to know is that I intend to get it back one way or another.”
“So you seem to think.”
Tori watched as Wade’s hands curled into controlled fists at his side. She couldn’t tell whether he wanted to kiss her senseless or bludgeon her with a nearby reindeer statue. But he couldn’t do any of those things. Not with Molly nearby. Tori had no doubt he’d give her a piece of his mind the minute he could. She was kind of looking forward to it.
“Wade?” His mother’s voice called over the cheerful carols playing in the store.
They both turned to look at his mother, and Tori noticed a curious expression on Molly’s face. She seemed…intrigued by their quiet discussion. Tori hoped she hadn’t mistaken their subdued animosity for real attraction. Tori wouldn’t put it past her to try to fix them up. Yes, there was a current running beneath the surface, but it was pointless to consider what that meant. Fortunately, Wade’s living in New York would easily put a damper on anything Molly tried to start up.
“Coming,” Wade said before he shot Tori a heated warning glance and turned away. She watched him talk to Molly for a minute, then nod and walk out of the store without another word to her.
Tori let out a deep breath and realized she’d been holding it long enough for her lungs to start burning. Her whole body was tense from bickering with him and—if she was honest with herself—anxious with the need he built inside her with a simple touch. It was an extremely confusing combination.
“Your package is ready, dear.”
Tori returned to the counter. “Thank you. I’m sure it will look great. The silver and blue against the shiny aluminum will be perfect.”
“It will,” she agreed. “What are you doing for Christmas? Do you have any family nearby?”
Tori shook her head. “No. My parents travel a lot. The last time they called, they were in Oregon. I’ll probably call and check in with them Christmas Day, but I haven’t spent an actual holiday with them in years.”
“What about any brothers and sisters? Aunts? Cousins?”
“I’m an only child. And my family moved so much that we never really connected with our extended family.”
“Hmph,” Molly said thoughtfully, although Tori wasn’t exactly sure what that meant. “Would you like to join me by the fireplace for some hot mulled cider?”
“I don’t want to take up your time.”
“Posh! The store is empty. Business won’t pick up until later today, and then just with last-minute folk in a rush. Come on, I’ll fix you a cup. I’ve also got some snickerdoodles I took out of the oven right before you came in.”
Unable to turn down the Christmas pied piper, she followed Molly over to the refreshment stand, then to the rocking chairs in front of the fireplace.
“You guys really have a lovely place here. It’s like a child’s Christmas fantasy.”
“Thank you. That’s really what we were going for—a treasured holiday tradition as opposed to just a shopping trip. Ken and I have always loved children. We’d hoped to have at least five or six.” Tori watched Molly gently finger the rim of her paper cup as she spoke. “When that didn’t work out, of course, we started taking in foster kids. Wade was the first child we took in.”
“Oh,” Tori said, the pieces of her conversations with Wade and the bartender finally clicking into place. That was why he had a different last name from the people he considered his parents. He obviously adored Molly as though she were his biological mother. Perhaps not all of his story was meant to play on her emotions. It was possible he did want to preserve the land that had been a special home for him.
Did that change how she felt about selling her property? No. But it did change a little of how she felt about him.
“I didn’t realize Wade was a foster child.”
“Yes. Julianne is the only child nature blessed us with. The rest came to us through the Litchfield County Social Services office. We had so many over the years, but Wade, Brody, Xander and Heath were the ones who really became a part of our family. It gave us a lot of joy to give a home to children who really needed one. We’d hoped that one day we would be able to turn the farm over to one of them, but that probably won’t happen. We raised them to dream big, and they did. Unfortunately, none of them dreamed of being a Christmas tree farmer.”
Tori took a bite of one of the warm cookies and nearly moaned with pleasure. The cinnamon, sugar and butter were a divine combination. She’d honestly never had a cookie this good before. “Oh, Molly, this cookie is wonderful. I couldn’t have expected anything less with everything you have here. I never had a Christmas tree growing up, but I always imagined buying one at a place like this.”
“You’ve never had a Christmas tree?” Molly looked appalled.
“No. My family liked to travel. My mom homeschooled me so we could move from one town to the next every few weeks. The camper wasn’t much bigger than the one I have now, so no real room for a tree. Sometimes, on Christmas morning, my parents would get up really early and decorate one of the nearby trees in the RV park where we were staying.”
“Christmas in a camper.” Tori could see the wheels turning in Molly’s head. “Then I suppose a huge turkey with all the trimmings and homemade pies were out of the question.”
Tori chuckled. “Not once in my life have I ever had that. My parents are hippies, really, so they were more into tofu and organic vegetables when I was young. And, yes, even if she’d wanted to cook a turkey, my mom didn’t have the room or the equipment. Sometimes we’d eat at a Cracker Barrel when my dad got nostalgic for home-cooked food.”
At that, Molly paled beside her. The rosy cheeks had vanished as though Tori had just told her there was no Santa Claus. “You’re coming over to our place Monday night for Christmas Eve dinner.”
Tori’s eyes widened in surprise. “Oh, no,” she insisted. Wade would think she’d deliberately done this. He’d make her miserable, glaring accusingly at her across the table all night. “I couldn’t possibly intrude on your family dinner.”
“Nonsense. Come up to the big house Monday night around five. We’ll eat about six, but I want you to get there in time to meet everyone.”
“Everyone?” What had Tori gotten herself into?
“It’s just me and Ken and the kids. You’ll get to meet my other boys. Brody will come up from Boston. He runs a software company. Xander is a congressman, so he’s flying back from D.C. Heath, my youngest, will be up from Manhattan. He owns an advertising agency. And my daughter, Julianne, will be home from Long Island. She has a sculpting studio and art gallery in the Hamptons. I’m so excited. I only get them all together once a year. Christmas is a big deal for our family.”
Holy crap. Molly made them sound wonderful, but Tori wondered if she wasn’t wandering into a trap. How many of them knew about Wade’s plans? Would she have his four siblings staring her down, as well? Tori didn’t know if she could refuse three powerful CEOs and a congressman if they ganged up on her. She couldn’t help imagining herself being slipped a roofie in her eggnog, waking up hog-tied in the basement and being forced to sign over her property.
“Really, thank you, but I already have plans.” It wasn’t technically a lie. She had planned to eat
chicken soup and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches while watching old Christmas movies on DVD. Not good plans, but plans. Hopefully it was enough to appease the older woman.
Molly arched an elegant eyebrow at her. “I have seen your camper, dear. It’s really lovely, but I can’t imagine you putting together much more than a peanut butter sandwich and a can of soup in there.”
Tori smiled. “How did you know what I was having?”
“Oh, Lordy,” Molly wailed, dramatically getting up from her chair. “You’re coming over for dinner, and that’s final.”
Tori trailed behind her, tossing her cup and napkin into the trash. She had to admit the idea of some real, home-cooked holiday food was tempting. But she would pay for it later. Wade would see to that. She could see that he got his stubbornness from his mother. The determined glint in Molly’s light green eyes left no room for negotiation. Surely Wade would understand his mother was a force of nature.
“Can I bring anything?” Tori had no clue what she could possibly contribute, but her mother had raised her to at least be polite enough to offer.
Molly tried to hide her smile behind her hand and then shook her head. “Not at all. I’ll have everything we need. Just bring your darling self, and we’ll be waiting for you.”
Tori nodded and walked to the cash register to pay for her wreath. She had no doubt Wade would be waiting for her Monday night. Armed and ready for battle.
Four
Tori couldn’t make herself go inside the Edens’ house. She felt stupid. It was the most unintimidating place she’d ever seen. The old white two-story home was lit with clear icicle lights, and each shutter-framed window had a wreath and candle gracing it. The two short columns that flanked the three stairs leading up to the front door were wrapped with garland and more lights. She could hear Christmas music and laughter from inside. Golden light shone through the downstairs windows and onto the snow.
Undeniable Demands Page 5
